With the upcoming election just around the corner, it’s crucial for everyone in Richmond to make their voice heard. For the first time in eight years, we’ll be electing a new mayor. Plus, all city council seats are up for grabs, which we’ll cover in a separate post.
The new mayor will take office in January 2025, following Mayor Levar Stoney, who’s stepping down due to term limits after two terms and is now running for lieutenant governor of Virginia.
To win the mayoral race, a candidate must secure the majority in at least five of Richmond’s nine council districts. If no one reaches this threshold, the top two will compete in a runoff. Richmond’s nine districts also determine voting in city council and school board elections.
Before you vote in our unofficial reader’s poll below, where we ask who you would vote for if the election were today, we want to introduce you to the mayoral candidates.
Earlier this year, we sat down with all the mayoral candidates for interviews, which are linked to their profiles below. We also held an editorial roundtable that you can read HERE.
Here’s a list of the mayoral candidates, presented in alphabetical order.
Andreas Addison
- Age: 42
- Raised $81,690 in campaign donations (Virginia Department of Elections report).
Background
- 1st District representative on Richmond City Council since 2017.
- Adjunct professor at the University of Virginia’s School of Public Policy.
- Owner of Pure Fitness RVA.
- Committee Involvement
- Serves on committees for organizational development, finance and economic development, land use, housing, and transportation.
- Council representative on the Planning Commission.
Legislative Work
- Advocated for safe streets, urban development, and environmental reform.
- Supported major initiatives such as the Riverfront Amphitheater, reduction of parking lot minimums, both casino referendums, and the Navy Hill project.
Campaign Platform
- Aims to modernize City Hall, ensure housing affordability, create walkable and safe neighborhoods, and build a vibrant economy.
- Focuses on addressing disparities across race, income, and geography, improving access to jobs, services, and resources for low-income families.
What He Told Us
“This is where my passion for, or why I ran for office, for City Council, came from. I was in the midst and throes of big challenges: improving access to health care for uninsured residents, figuring out how to analyze and create economic activity in formerly vibrant neighborhoods, without displacing those who currently live there. I used partnerships across the country to lead on these opportunities, to elevate this conversation. And every leader here was like, “No, we’re already doing that. No, no, we’re good. We’ve already got that.” I’m going, “No, if these people came from around the world, or from around the United States, looked at this problem, got in there with their hands and got dirty in the streets – walking, talking to people, listening, you pay attention to them. What they are recommending is the outcome of all of that process. And you’re gonna tell me no? We’re already doing enough? There’s a big problem with that. That’s a bigger problem.”
I was tired of being told the research and data collected in the field wouldn’t inform their actual decisions. I’m thinking, “These aren’t the responses that get to solutions.” If we take these well-researched steps, we can start fixing the little things that make the bigger problems easier to conquer.”
Read the full interview HERE, which was conducted weeks before his mayoral announcement.
Danny Avula
- Age: 45
- Raised $408,908 in campaign donations (per Virginia Department of Elections report).
- Top donors include individuals associated with AMF Bakery Systems and Ukrop’s.
Background
- Former commissioner of the Department of Social Services under Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
- Led the state’s COVID vaccination effort under former Gov. Ralph Northam.
- Previously served as the director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts.
- Currently a pediatrician at Chippenham Hospital.
Campaign Platform
- Focused on promoting businesses and maintaining a strong economy.
- Advocates for fully funding public education and improving access to resources for families.
- Prioritizes public safety and investments in green infrastructure.
- Aims to make City Hall more efficient and accessible for residents.
What He Told Us
“I served as the Public Health Director for a long time. So much of the work of public health is looking at why some communities are thriving and other communities are not. Particularly in the last decade, we’ve seen Richmond on this tremendous development arc. We’ve seen incredible growth in this city. There’s so much cool stuff happening. New housing, new amenities.
But my lens as a public health doc was tuned to recognizing health disparities, right? I was having a personal crisis as a resident of the East End, living with lower-income neighbors who were having a hard time and, in some cases, getting pushed out of the community. While Richmond was thriving, some communities were suffering.
You started with the question, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Yeah, that’s the crux of it. I want to be in a place where I can help shape Richmond’s future. We need to ride the momentum this city is experiencing, continue to drive development. But we need to do it in a way that ensures that the vulnerable and marginalized members of our community get to flourish as well– that everyone gets to benefit from that growth.”
Read the full interview HERE
Michelle Mosby
- Age: 54
- Raised $204,903 in campaign donations (Virginia Department of Elections report).
- Largest donor: J.J. Minor III, Richmond NAACP President.
Background
- Elected to Richmond City Council’s 9th District in 2012; served for four years.
- Ran for mayor in 2016, with Mayor Levar Stoney winning 36% of the vote.
- Narrowly lost the 2017 election for Richmond City Treasurer.
- First Black woman to serve as City Council president.
Campaign Platform
- Focuses on making City Hall more reliable and accessible.
- Prioritizes city growth, cutting red tape for businesses, increasing affordable housing, and improving Richmond’s schools.
Endorsements
- Endorsed by former Mayor Dwight Jones, Councilmembers Cynthia Newbille and Ellen Robertson, and NAACP President J.J. Minor III.
What She Told Us
“It’s bringing us together, building those bridges we talked about, that’s going to bring us to greatness in economic growth. Until Richmonders can see their basics work for them, there will always be a complicated development conversation.
People need to feel like they are getting a return on their investment, feel that their dollars put in the city are making sense. Until then, it’s hard to see anything else.
So the leader has to walk and chew gum. Lead by focusing on Richmond, show Richmonders wherever they reside that “she’s really fixing this! I don’t feel like I’m being robbed!” It is then that we can move positively forward together.
Development is a given, it’s needed for our city to grow, and a great leader will lead us to economic greatness.”.
Read the full interview HERE
Maurice Neblett
- Age: 34
- Raised $1,184 in self-funded campaign contributions (Virginia Department of Elections report).
Background
- Richmond native and long-time community organizer.
- Advocate involved in preserving the historic Richmond Community Hospital, the first Black hospital in Richmond, built in 1932.
- Graduate of Virginia Union University with a background in criminal justice reform.
- Board member of a local federal credit union.
Campaign Platform
- Focuses on improving infrastructure, enhancing public safety, and promoting economic growth.
Political Experience
- Running in his first election; no prior political history.
What He Told Us
“I’m doing what I love: serving the people of Richmond and this area. I’m a Richmond native. I graduated from Virginia Union University. I’m an entrepreneur. I also sit on the Board of Directors of a Federal Credit Union here. I’m a community organizer. I’ve always been involved in helping to pull up individuals out of disparity.
My mother passed away when I was a child, and I felt helpless. I had made a promise to myself that I was going to help my mother. But what could I do? I was a kid.
From there on, I knew I was to be a protector. That’s my purpose. My purpose is to be there for people and to be true.”
Read the full interview HERE
Harrison Roday
- Age: 32
- Raised $502,865 in campaign donations (Virginia Department of Elections report).
- Largest donor: Genworth Financial Inc., headquartered in Richmond.
- Significant support from out-of-state private companies, including American Industrial Partners (New York City).
Background
- Founder of Bridging Virginia, a nonprofit that provides financial and technical aid to marginalized small businesses.
- Former executive leader and chief of staff, overseeing 8,000 employees.
Campaign Platform
- Prioritizes addressing the affordable housing crisis.
- Focuses on economic development and growth.
- Advocates for making City Hall more accessible to the public.
Political Experience
- First-time candidate; no prior political experience.
What He Told Us
“If I had to pick one single area to focus on, it would be the growth of the supply of housing. We have a situation right now where more and more people are crossing that threshold where 30 plus percent of their income is being spent on shelter.
If given the choice between a math problem of guaranteeing that wages are going to grow by 3% every year forever, or stopping the current rate of inflation in housing? The right choice for everyone’s pocketbook might sound like the first one, but it’s actually the second. It represents such a large proportion of costs.
If it keeps growing at the rate it is currently growing, we’re going to face all kinds of challenges beyond what we already do. We need to be using the financial resources we have available to make maximum impact, leverage the public dollars that we have to generate further supply of housing.
That is a top two issue for the next administration.”
Read the full interview HERE
Brandon J. Smith
- Age: 41
- Has not raised any money; all contributions have been out of pocket.
- He is a write-in candidate, you can find more information on that process HERE
Background
- Richmond native, raised in the Southside of Richmond, Jefferson Villages.
- Attended Swansboro Elementary and Huguenot High School
- A returning citizen, non-profit founder, and business owner.
- Founder of “Race 2 a Million,” a non-profit aimed at creating self-sustainable communities, financial opportunities, and economic equality.
- Experienced homelessness and disenfranchisement.
Campaign Platform
- Advocates for the poor, underrepresented, and underserved communities.
- Focuses on youth and education, enhanced public safety, economic equality, and mental health.
- Aims to create an inclusive mayorship that involves the community directly.
- Plans to spend the first 100 days as mayor engaging with the community to understand their needs.
- Believes in a leadership model of “90% people, 10% politics.”
Political Experience
- Worked with Kim Gray on her mayoral campaign against Levar Stoney.
- Worked with Michelle Mosby’s “Help Me Help You Foundation.”
Campaign Message
- Aims to be a mayor for the people, connected to the community without a traditional political agenda.
- Advocates for change by focusing on real-life experiences and struggles of everyday citizens.
- Emphasizes the importance of building a Richmond that works for everyone, fostering unity, perseverance, and a better future.
What He Told Us
“I’m fighting for us, for a better Richmond, a better now. Richmond doesn’t need another politician; Richmond needs someone who’s gonna do what they say and truly understands what it’s like to be poor.”
Visit his campaign site HERE.
